Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and several state health experts said Friday that Maryland hospitals and health care providers are preparing to deal with Ebola if need be, even though they reiterated that the risks to the general public is low.

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The group held a news conference Friday morning and touched on the efforts of the state's biosurveillance system, which was implemented after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, as well as how health care providers and police are training to wear special equipment needed to protect them from Ebola.

"This is not the first time we've had things like this. We've had SARS, MERS, swine flu. Many of us remember after the attacks of 9/11, the anthrax attacks and how many ambulance runs went from point A to point B, responding to white powder suspicions. So, we've been through this before," the governor said.

He said the key to stopping the spread of the virus and saving lives is four things: identify cases, isolating those cases, treating them and contain those cases.

Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Secretary Joshua Sharfstein reiterated how Ebola is transmitted, saying it is not yet affecting our daily lives. He said the people who are most at-risk are health care providers, and those people are up to speed on proper techniques for Ebola identification and treatment.

Experts: Early identification important first step

Officials said early identification of Ebola symptoms, as well as training and practice, are critical. Dr. Lisa Maragakis, the epidemiology director at Johns Hopkins Hospital, said they've put in place screenings at initial points of contact at the hospital's emergency departments and outpatient locations. Health care workers are checking on patients' past travel experiences and their symptoms, and they'll take the appropriate precautions from there.

"We're doing sessions with our teams to make sure they know of all the various procedures and protocol we have in place," she said.

Maragakis said the hospital is revising plans and protocol as it learns more from the cases that have been and are being treated in Atlanta, Nebraska and Dallas.

Health care workers training on protective equipment

Sharfstein said the situation in Dallas, in which two hospital workers were infected with Ebola while treating a patient from Liberia who died, helped Maryland reinforce the critical need to get personal protective equipment right every time.

Hospitals are training workers on personal protective equipment, and protocols are being tested to make sure the equipment is adequate. Health officials recommended a buddy system for all health care workers, meaning workers should put on and take off the suits in pairs and then have a third party supervise as they do so to make sure everything is done properly.

Maragakis said her staff is working hard to train providers to properly put on and take off the full-body hazmat suits without contaminating themselves. She said they're using red paint on the suits so they can see if they get any on themselves. She said the aforementioned buddy system is also in place.

Dr. Richard Alcorta, the director of Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems, said ambulance workers and emergency departments also have the protective equipment, as well as members of law enforcement, just in case they ever need it. He said if small ambulatory companies happen to not have that equipment, they can get it.

State officials said they're also developing guidance on how to handle Ebola waste.

Maragakis said standard cleaning and disinfectant procedures, including the use of bleach, will kill Ebola. She said officials can take extra measures for an added level of precaution, such as using UV light, but that's not necessary at this time.

Biosurveillance helps analyze state data

Another defense the state is using is its automated biosurveillance system, which analyzes several data sources from all medical facilities in the state, as well as data from public schools. It also collects over-the-counter drug sales data, as well as poison control and reportable disease data. The system then issues alerts if any of that data goes above certain baselines that are considered normal.

DHMH Public Health Services Deputy Secretary Dr. Laura Herrera Scott said Maryland is coordinating with Virginia and Washington, D.C., on its data and talking weekly with EMS providers and hospitals.

Officials try to calm fears

Alcorta tried to alleviate fears by saying hospitals and EMS crews are well-briefed to handle potential cases. He said anyone who has traveled to west Africa or has symptoms should inform someone in health care immediately.

"It's about protecting our health care infrastructure and getting the right treatment for the patient," he said.

Meanwhile, the governor said the general public shouldn't worry.

"People were fearful when SARS and MERS or anthrax (scares) happened. We can't live our lives in fear. Our fear isn't going to help us contain any potential cases we identify," O'Malley said.

He reminded the community that Maryland has some of the best health care professionals in the world. The governor said there will likely be some false-positives when it comes to Ebola in Maryland, which will be an opportunity for them to improve on protocols and communication.

"Citizens should go about their normal lives, and as they do so, they should … be aware that their public health networks and institutions are very focused on this. We're communicating, coordinating and cooperating with one another, and it should be a comfort to every citizen to know there are so many people working on this every day," O'Malley said.

The governor also said now is a good time for residents to get a flu shot. He said since flu symptoms are similar to those at the onset of Ebola, people can help by getting the vaccine.

"That might sound trivial and silly," the governor said, but it "will eliminate some of the strain on the system."

The governor said aside from recent preparations, state experts also ran scenarios on Ebola in August to better drill, train and prepare officials to protect public health.

Anyone who wants more information on Ebola and that state's preparations can visit DHMH.maryland.gov/ebola.